United States

How Can America's Infrastructure Challenges Be Solved?

Planetizen managing editor Jonathan Nettler recently spoke with Steven Anderson, founder and managing director of InfrastructureUSA, about the country's infrastructure challenges and how local communities are finding creative ways to solve them.

April 10, 2012 - InfrastructureUSA

The Psychology Driving the Great Urban Migration

Nathan Norris explores what planners need to know about the trends driving Generation Y's quest for urban living and America's evolving housing market.

April 10, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Reasons to Celebrate the Death of the Architecture Critic

As architecture and design observers bemoan what recent job moves mean for the future of mainstream architectural criticism, Vanessa Quirk sees reason to be optimistic.

April 10, 2012 - ArchDaily

A Closer Look At Growth Data Showing An Urban Revival

On April 5, the U.S. Census Bureau released growth data from April 2010 to July 2011 showing that for the first time in 20 years, urban growth surpassed exurban growth. Yonah Freemark takes a closer look at the data for 21 metropolitan areas.

April 10, 2012 - theTransportPolitic

National Conference Will Urge Planners To 'Think Big'

For the first time in a generation, the American Planning Association is hosting its National Conference in Los Angeles. Organizers view the event, April 14-17, as a chance to inspire planners to assert themselves and start dreaming big again.

April 10, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

New Report Ties Fracking to Rise in Earthquakes

Joe Romm reports on a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) paper that ties the unprecedented rise in earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and greater across a broad swath of the country to man-made sources.

April 9, 2012 - Climate Progress

Probing the False Sense of Security in Gated Communities

Edward Blakely, co-author of “Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States,” pens an opinion piece for The Washington Post looking at the detrimental psychology that exists in gated communities such as where Trayvon Martin died.

April 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Surprisingly Cheap Path to Halting Climate Change

James West reports on the findings of a new report from the United Kingdom's leading climate change watchdog that confirms stopping climate change is much cheaper than you might think.

April 8, 2012 - Mother Jones

Is Generation Y Weaning Off the Automobile?

Angie Schmitt discusses new research from U.S. PIRG indicating youngsters are relying on their cars less than the generation before them, motivated by more than just thinning pocketbooks.

April 8, 2012 - Streetsblog

Establishing Public Health As An Integral Part of Decision-Making

Ben Goldman looks at the findings in a new paper released by the Pew Health Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that aims to identify opportunities to increase the utilization of Health Impact Assessments (HIA).

April 7, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Making Sustainable Food More Accessible to Less Fortunate Americans

As government funding for programs that make fresh fruits and vegetables available to low-income women and young children get cut, Sarah Parsons asks how to make the sustainable food movement less elitist.

April 6, 2012 - Good

Find Yourself A City to Live In

Emily Badger examines a new tool unveiled this week that makes finding your ideal city, and fulfilling the commandment of the Talking Heads' 1979 song "Cities," much easier.

April 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

America Chooses More Urban and Less Suburban

Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg report on how current trends could cause the extinction of suburban sprawl.

April 6, 2012 - USA Today

Do Hybrid Cars Make Cents?

According to Nick Bunkley, and data compiled by TrueCar.com, probably not. Aside from two hybrids and a diesel car, gas would need to cost $8 a gallon before most hybrids cover their increased initial cost versus a similar, non-hybrid model.

April 5, 2012 - The New York Times

There's More to Compact Cities Than Mid and High-Rise Housing

The mismatch between current US housing stock and the growing demand for walkable urban living can be addressed in part by recovering the skills required for intermediate-density housing, argues Dan Parolek.

April 5, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

How You Benefit From Increased Biking, Without Ever Touching a Pedal

Jay Walljasper chronicles the growing influence of the bicycle lobby, and their persuasive argument that policies that are good for bicyclists actually benefit everyone.

April 3, 2012 - Shareable

The 10 Highest Profile Infrastructure Projects in the US

Ryan Holeywell and Daniel Lippman evaluate the country's five biggest on-going infrastructure projects, and the five biggest ones in jeopardy. See if your region's project made the cut.

April 3, 2012 - Governing

Are Retro Ballparks a Thing of the Past?

Twenty years ago, Oriole Park at Camden Yards began a revolution in baseball stadium design when it opened in downtown Baltimore. Two decades onward, Mark Byrnes asks if the retro ballpark movement is officially over.

April 2, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Friday Funny: HUD Gets the Rodney Dangerfield Treatment

The satirical newspaper the Onion reports on efforts by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to boost their brand recognition.

March 30, 2012 - The Onion

Carrie Bradshaw Meets Jane Jacobs: Living Single In The Big City

More people live alone in the United States now than at any other time in the nation's history, and most of those people live in cities. Eric Klinenberg's Going Solo describes the next great demographic and urban trend.

March 30, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.